Despite how much scientific research is out there on the topic of pornography, surprisingly little of it has looked at what types of porn people are watching. Most research involves simply asking participants whether or how often they use porn, without giving any consideration to theme or genre. As a result, we don't know all that much about which kinds of porn are more or less popular and how that might be similar or different based on people's gender and sexual orientation.

In a recent article over at Playboy, I discuss the results of a new study appearing in The Journal of Sex Research in which a large and diverse sample of internet users were asked to rate how often they use 27 different types of porn (e.g., group sex, oral sex, anal sex, sadomasochism, etc.). As you'll see, while the results revealed some differences between genders and sexualities in how frequently people watch certain porn themes, overall, people appeared to be more similar than they were different when it came to their most- and least-preferred types of porn.

While you're over at Playboy, check out my Hard Science column to learn more about the science of sex. Some of my other articles include:

Sex And Psychology

Please help support Sex & Psychology! This site contains affiliate links to recommended books and products, which send a small commission back to help keep the site up and running and continue educating people around the world about sex.

order a copy of my new book, tell me what you want, and receive aN exclusive bonus. click the cover above to learn more!